Isaiah 22:14

14 And the voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed in my ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you till you die, saith the Lord God of hosts.

Isaiah 22:14 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 22:14

And it was revealed in my ears by the Lord of hosts
Both what they said in the preceding verse ( Isaiah 22:13 ) , their profane, impious, and scoffing language; which perhaps was not expressed by words, but said in their hearts, and which God the searcher of hearts knew, and revealed it to the prophet; and also what he determined to do upon this, which is afterwards said, which being a purpose within himself, could not be known without a divine revelation; so the Targum,

``the prophet said, with mine ears I was hearing, when this was decreed from before the Lord of hosts;''

namely, that their iniquity should not be forgiven; the Vulgate Latin version is, "the voice of the Lord of hosts is revealed in mine ears"; saying what is expressed in the next clause: but the Septuagint, and Arabic versions, understand it of the ears of Lord of hosts himself: and Aben Ezra thinks the word "ani" or "I" is wanting, and so Kimchi; and that the words should be rendered thus, "it was revealed in mine ears, [I am] the Lord of hosts": and so it is by some others, "it was revealed in the ears of me, the Lord of hosts" ^F17, or, "of the Lord of hosts"; the wickedness, profaneness, and luxury of the people; the cry of their sins came up into the ears of the Lord of hosts, and therefore he determined to do what he next declares: Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die;
it being of heinous nature, so daring, insolent, and affronting, such a contempt of God and his word, and discovering such impenitence and hardness of heart, it should not be expiated by any sacrifice whatever; not by the day of atonement, nor death itself, as the Jews from hence fancy; in short, it should not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in that to come; for if not till they died, then not after, where there is no repentance, nor remission; see ( Matthew 12:32 ) the words are in the form of an oath, "if this iniquity be purged, or expiated" ^F18; the Lord swears to it, that it never should be pardoned, but they should die in it; as a corporeal, so an eternal death. The Targum interprets it of the second death; that is, as Kimchi explains it, the death of the soul in the world to come; see ( Revelation 21:8 ) : saith the Lord God of hosts;
and therefore this would certainly be the case; for his word and oath are his two immutable things, in which it is impossible for him to lie.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (ynzab hlgnw) "et revelabitur in auribus meis Domini exercituum", Montanus; "et revelatum in auribus Domini" Musculus.
F18 (rpky Ma) "si exibitur", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator; "si expietur", Junius & Tremellius.

Isaiah 22:14 In-Context

12 And the Lord, the God of hosts, in that day shall call to weeping, and to mourning, to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

13 And behold joy and gladness, killing calves, and slaying rams, eating flesh, and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

14 And the voice of the Lord of hosts was revealed in my ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you till you die, saith the Lord God of hosts.

15 Thus saith the Lord God of hosts: Go, get thee in to him that dwelleth in the tabernacle, to Sobna who is over the temple: and thou shalt say to him:

16 What dost thou here, or as if thou wert somebody here? for thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, thou hast hewed out a monument carefully in a high place, a dwelling for thyself in a rock.